


The Truth, In A Heartbeat

by NorthernSkyline



Series: The Paths We Tread [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route Spoilers, Pre-Timeskip | Academy Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:55:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22959040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthernSkyline/pseuds/NorthernSkyline
Summary: In the space of a single, rare heartbeat, Byleth finds her truth in the Holy Tomb.
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Series: The Paths We Tread [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1656769
Comments: 9
Kudos: 152





	The Truth, In A Heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> I find it pretty interesting that the two big decisions in the Black Eagles route (stay/go and kill/protect) are accompanied by a heartbeat sound effect, considering Byleth doesn't have one. This sort of sprung up from me thinking about that.

“Professor, kill Edelgard at once. She is a danger to all of Fódlan. Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating.”

Byleth is used to time stopping for her, in fact that’s probably the only thing about this current situation that she  _ is  _ used to. What she  _ isn’t _ used to is the thudding of her blood in her ears, the shock of feeling—for only the second time in her life—a single heartbeat. It seems ludicrously loud to her, an explosion of sound that reverberates around her whole being like the ringing of a bell.

Even more difficult to process is the truth of what she’s just heard. The Flame Emperor and Edelgard are one and the same. Or are they? It doesn’t seem possible.

The Flame Emperor had asked her to join them, once. The fires of Remire were still burning, the air thick with smoke and the scent of burnt flesh. She could remember the fury in her father’s voice at the very suggestion.

Her father…

Was the Flame Emperor responsible for that too? They had claimed that they couldn’t control Solon, like he was a wild animal that needed to be muzzled. None of it made sense then, and it still didn’t. Were Edelgard’s lilac eyes really the ones that had been boring into her face from behind that mask? Was it really Edelgard’s voice that had sounded resigned, almost sad, when she had refused?

Edelgard. The girl who bears the weight of an empire on her shoulders with the sort of composure and grace that makes it look effortless. The girl who Byleth has watched grow and mature into a fearsome warrior and a ruthless leader. The girl who speaks of burning down the world so a new, better one can grow out of the ashes. A beautiful weapon forged in the fires of the battlefield. When Byleth thinks about her like that, she really can believe that Edelgard is the Flame Emperor.

Except, Byleth  _ doesn’t  _ think of Edelgard like that. Edelgard isn’t a weapon. Byleth thinks of a smile over the rim of a cup of bergamot tea, a guilty grin while sneakily eating sweets, little crinkles by the corners of eyes while helping a friend. She thinks of a good heart and a noble purpose. She thinks of a laugh that causes an electric jolt through her body that she doesn’t know what to do with, a wave of raw energy that claws at her throat and steals air from her lungs. She thinks about how much she craves that feeling.

Her own truth crystalises in her mind, and as the last echoes of her thunderous heartbeat die away, she feels her legs start to move as the world returns to motion. As she approaches Edelgard, she watches a slide show of emotions play out on her face. Determination melts into sorrow, then shock as Byleth interposes herself between her student and the Archbishop.

She will not fight for the Flame Emperor.

Rhea’s eyes narrow as the corner of her mouth turns up in a snarl, all pretence of ethereal calm and poise shattering.

She will not fight for the Flame Emperor, but for Edelgard…

Byleth shifts her grip on the Sword of the Creator, meeting Rhea’s furious gaze with her own determined one.

For Edelgard, she will break the world.


End file.
